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The Soft Serve Machines
Another specialty refrigeration unit is the soft-serve machine, which produces frozen desserts from a liquid base mix. There are mixes available to produce ice cream, ice milk, frozen yogurt, gelato, and so on, in many different flavors. Large machines are made for banquetsize crowds; smaller ones for individual customer servings are placed near the front counters of quick-service restaurants. When shopping for a machine, you'll want to know how much mix it will hold at a time. Capacities range from 8.5 quarts to 72 quarts.
The soft-serve machine pumps air into the base mix, which gives it the soft consistency and increases the volume of the product. The percentage of air forced into the product is referred to as its overrun; for instance, 16 ounces of mix with a 100 percent overrun will produce 32 ounces of frozen product. A 50 percent overrun will produce 24 ounces of product. Overrun accuracy is critical. Too much air will cause a product that is thin and grainy; too little air will cause it to freeze too hard and become difficult to dispense.
There are two types of soft-serve machines. In a gravity-feed machine, the mix is loaded into a hopper. It flows as needed into a cylinder below, where it is frozen, scraped out of the cylinder, and dispensed. Gravity feed machines are simple to operate and clean and are the least expensive.
The pressurized soft-serve machine uses an air pump to drive the mix into the freezer chamber, then forces it out through a spigot. Pressurized machines are more expensive, but they control the overrun air better than gravity feed machines. The refrigeration system is at the heart of the soft-serve machine. The simplest dispensers operate on 110-volt electricity, but machines with more features require 208-volt lines. Most units are air cooled, and there are also very efficient water-cooled systems. Aircooled machines can be installed just about anywhere, but remember that they vent hot air from the compressor into the environment-not efficient for an already hot kitchen area.
Water-cooled machines dump the heat down the drain. There's no problem with ambient heat, but water use and sewage costs may increase slightly. One of the key specifications for a soft-serve machine is its Btu rating. The Btu (British thermal unit) is a measurement of how much energy a system or appliance uses. One kilowatt-hour is equal to 3413 Btus. The higher the Btu rating, the more mix can be frozen in a given time period. Look for higher ratings in high-volume situations, or where you want the product to be thicker than normal. For any soft-serve machine, the most important consideration is keeping it clean.
It must be sanitized daily and serviced according to the manufacturer's maintenance schedule. Cocktail freezers for making frozen drinks like margaritas and daiquiris are kin to the soft-serve machines. Match the machine to the type of cocktail being made. As the amount of sugar and alcohol in a drink increase, so does the time it takes to freeze the drink. A larger capacity refrigeration system is needed for high-volume use, such as when you plan to serve frozen drinks by the pitcher, or for drinks that include high alcohol and sugar content.
Soft-serve desserts, shakes, and frozen drinks can be profitable, but the initial cost of the equipment is sometimes prohibitive. Most manufacturers offer a lease, or lease-to-own option. Calculate how many desserts and/or drinks you must sell per day in order to cover the combined costs of the equipment payment and ingredients.
About the Author
Franco Zinzi has been involved with the online marketing for 3 years and likes to write on various subjects. Come visit his website which discusses of restaurant fridges and supplies for the owner of his own business.
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